Flying

For technology lovers, today'sbusiness jet cabin is a wonderland, offering everything from moving-map displays with satellite photos to in-flight use of a BlackBerry. And every time you think you've seen it all, along comes another innovation-often for less money than you paid for the product it replaces.

The Gulfstream GV was the first true long-range business jet. There are many impressive things about it, but perhaps the most salient is this: Last year alone, the value of a used GV shot up 18 percent. In 2002, a new GV sold for $43.2 million. Last year on the used market, that airplane commanded $45.5 million.

Many business jet charter operators these days are opting to focus on a single aircraft type. The Eclipse 500 has received much publicity because high-profile businesses, such as Boca Raton, Fla.-based DayJet and Concord, Mass.-based Linear Air, have recently launched air-taxi services with that model. But an increasing number of operators are now focusing on another aircraft: the Cirrus SR22.

When the time comes to sell your timeshare in a luxury resort, you naturally consult the property's operator to see what kind of deal it can offer. Chances are, however, that you also keep your options open in case someone wants to buy your share directly, which would save you any fees the resort might charge for the transaction.

As I noted in my February/March column, the salesperson for your fractional provider will do his best to convince you that everyone signs the same simple contract and that the terms are "just boilerplate." In fact, as I explained, those terms require careful consideration because they govern your rights and obligations with respect to what likely will be a multimillion-dollar investment--and th

Nothing says luxury like leather. That's the gospel according to business jet interior designers and many of their customers.
As a seat covering, leather wraps the passenger in butter-soft comfort. On bulkheads and sidewalls, leather softens the shine of exotic wood veneers and polished metals. Instead of screaming "money," the cabin softly whispers "success."

I stopped paying serious attention to fashion years ago. But just out of curiosity, I do check with younger colleagues every now and then to see whether my Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses are in or out of style. I'm told they're in again. That makes at least six cycles since I bought them. By the time you read this, it could be seven.

The very light jet industry wasn't exactly flying high last year. A major supplier told me last summer that he expected half of all VLJ makers to fold soon. By the end of 2007, he looked clairvoyant; first the Aviation Technology Group suspended work on the two-seat Javelin and then, early in 2008, after sputtering for almost two years, Adam Aircraft shut its doors.

As if getting sick abroad weren't bad enough, add to that the possibility of being quarantined or placed in isolation when you come home by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ("Quarantine" refers to the separation of people who have been exposed to an infectious disease and might be contagious. "Isolation" is the separation of people who already exhibit symptoms.)

Quote/Unquote

““[Bill Gates] has been historically one of my best supporters…One of my favorite e-mails he ever sent me…I proposed this crazy project. And he sent back this two-line response: ‘This has got to be the craziest thing you’ve ever suggested. Please proceed.’”
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